Jim Boren greets then-California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at The Bee in 2006. Boren, whose entire 48-year journalism career has been at The Fresno Bee including the last five as executive editor and senior vice president, is retiring in January 2018. Fresno Bee file

Jim Boren greets then-California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at The Bee in 2006. Boren, whose entire 48-year journalism career has been at The Fresno Bee including the last five as executive editor and senior vice president, is retiring in January 2018. Fresno Bee file

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“I will always be grateful to have worked alongside Jim,” said Tom Cullinan, The Bee’s publisher and president who’s retiring Friday. “His passion to deliver quality journalism to our readers and his commitment to The Bee, the Fresno community and this organization have been extraordinary. We will all miss Jim’s steady hand at the newsroom helm.”

Boren, 68, started working at The Bee while he was still a student at Fresno State, first as a vacation relief reporter and later as a sports reporter and a general-assignment news reporter before settling in as The Bee’s political reporter from 1980-95. He was the editorial page editor for 17 years before becoming executive editor in December 2012.

In 2015 he was named Fresno City College Distinguished Alumnus. He graduated from Fresno City College in 1969 and earned his bachelor’s degree from Fresno State in 1972.

Cullinan credited Boren with leading the newsroom staff through the digital transition; The Bee has never been read by more people in its 95-year history.

“I work with very talented journalists who produce quality work each day, and I will miss their enthusiasm and commitment to making our region a better place to live with their unrivaled journalism,” Boren said. “It has been an incredible honor to serve as their editor.”